Creative people sometimes believe that they need to wait for inspiration, for the incredible idea, for the muse to visit, before they can begin work. But based on my experience, it’s the other way around. You inch forward with whatever creativity you can muster, and as you work, the magic happens.
Maya Angelou said, “When I’m writing, I write. And then it’s as if the muse is convinced that I’m serious and says, ‘Okay. Okay. I’ll come…’”
So it’s not: If inspired, then write.
But instead: If write, then inspired!
Maya Angelou said, “When I’m writing, I write. And then it’s as if the muse is convinced that I’m serious and says, ‘Okay. Okay. I’ll come…’”
So it’s not: If inspired, then write.
But instead: If write, then inspired!
I‘ve lost track of the many times I’ve experienced the inspiration that comes after I begin. For example, maybe I’m not sure what happens next in a story. Then I convince myself to muddle through, to start writing anything, and it’s while I’m working that insights occur. As Pablo Picasso said, “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”
Of course, when inspiration and creative time coincide, it’s a wonderful, glorious thing. But it shouldn’t be something productive writers count on. In Deep Work, Cal Newport quotes Mason Currey: “. . . waiting for inspiration to strike is a terrible, terrible plan. In fact, perhaps the single best piece of advice I can offer to anyone trying to do creative work is to ignore inspiration.”
How about you? Do you try to create even when you’re not inspired?
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